Quick Query Checklist*^Take 5 minutes before you send out your query to make absolutely sure you have everything you need in it!

Follow the Sub Guidelines *+^So many querying authors shoot themselves in the foot by not following the submission guidelines. Follow directions, and you’ll put yourself ahead of 90% of querying authors.

Not Everyone Likes Eggplant*^Learning the difference between “I am a bad writer” and “my book did not suit this agent’s/editor’s tastes” will save you a lot of heartache and angst.

Handling Rejection in a Brutal Business*^Every author faces rejection. That is just a fact of the industry and of being an artist in general. But rejection can also be channeled into positive progress.[This thread has also been endorsed and quoted by literary agents. If you like gif posts better, try Keep Moving Forward.]

Italicized Thoughts vs Direct Narration*One of my biggest baby author sins was throwing in excessive italicized thoughts from the MC’s POV instead of smoothly integrating them into the narrative. This goes through why the latter can be more effective and provides examples of both.

Filtering and Distancing Language*+^Don’t put a barrier between your main character and your reader if you are writing close 1st person or 3rd person! Filters and distancing language are easy to remove (and cut down on your word count!), but make an incredible amount of difference.